Celtic progressed through to the next round of the SFA Cup on Saturday thanks to a narrow 2-1 victory over Scottish Premiership rivals Kilmarnock at Parkhead.
Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda scored the goals for the home side to secure their progression in the competition, either side of an equaliser from Bobby Wales.
The Hoops made it more difficult for themselves than they needed to by missing several opportunities to find the back of the net to put the game out of sight.
67HailHail criticised centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi for being ‘guilty’ of spurning chances to score in the match, which has been a consistent theme throughout the season.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s struggles this season
The Japan international has scored ten goals in 22 Premiership outings this term and does offer a constant threat at the top end of the pitch with his movement and instincts in front of goal.
However, his lack of quality in the final action has been an issue, as the former Vissel Kobe star has failed to make the most of the high-quality chances that the team has created for him.
|
Kyogo Furuhashi (24/25) |
Premiership |
Champions League |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
6 |
|
xG |
14.14 |
2.07 |
|
Goals |
10 |
1 |
|
Big chances missed |
17 |
3 |
|
Stats via Sofascore & WhoScored |
||
As you can see in the table above, Kyogo has significantly underperformed against his expected tally, with 11 goals from 16.21 xG in the Premiership and the Champions League combined.
Brendan Rodgers could stick with the experienced attacker and hope that his form in front of goal improves, but the January transfer window also provides the boss with an opportunity to potentially sign an upgrade on the Japanese striker.
Celtic were recently linked with an interest in Lille centre-forward Mohamed Bayo, who is looking to find regular game time in the second half of the season, and his finishing ability could improve the team.
Transfer Focus
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Why Celtic should sign Mohamed Bayo
The 26-year-old star, who was once described as one “of the best players in Africa” by European football expert Zach Lowy, joined Lille from Clermont Foot in the summer of 2022 and has only started 25 times in Ligue 1 since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, which shows that he has not had regular game time to showcase his quality in front of goal.
He has scored two goals from 2.02 xG in three league starts for Lille so far this season, making the most of the chances that have come his way, but his best form came during his days with Clermont Foot.
In the 2021/22 campaign – the last time he made more than 20 league starts – Bayo scored 14 goals and only missed 11 ‘big chances’ in 27 starts in Ligue 1, which speaks to the clinical finishing he can provide at his best.
The Guinea international, who is valued at £3.4m by Transfermarkt, showcased his quality in a major European league but has been unable to replicate it in recent years, due to his lack of game time.
Bayo, who scored 22 goals in 34 starts in the 2020/21 Ligue 2 campaign, is an effective finisher, as illustrated by his statistics, and this suggests that he has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Kyogo if Rodgers can get him back to his best.
Related
Celtic submit huge bid to sign “incredible” upgrade on Maeda at Parkhead
Celtic have already had a £10m bid turned down by the Premier League side.
The Lille outcast may just need a run of regular games, which he has not had at his current club, to get back to his Clermont Foot form, which is why the Celtic target could be an excellent addition and a potential upgrade on Kyogo, due to his ruthless nature in front of goal.